


Five Reasons Why

by thunderingskies



Series: You're my ace [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Canon Compliant, Childhood Friends, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-06-05 03:19:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6687064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderingskies/pseuds/thunderingskies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Five..." Oikawa blinked quickly, forcing the lump in his throat to dissipate. "There are five pictures here that I want to show you. Five pictures... or for me, five memories that go with them. I think... after I show you the pictures, you'll understand what I'm trying to say."</p><p>The one where Oikawa relives his five most precious memories of him and Iwaizumi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Just... just don't say anything yet. Okay?" Oikawa looked up, eyes meeting two pairs of brown eyes that were so familiar to him. Eyes he'd grown up with, ones he'd looked at through tears, ones he'd looked at through eyes squinted from laughter. 

He had never looked at them before and felt such a huge pit in his stomach. 

He swallowed thickly, hands shaking as he reached for his backpack. He held on to it tightly, nervous as to the response he would get.

"Okay," he received, with a nod.

So he continued.

Oikawa reached into the bag, coming out with a small picture album. It was old - the edges of the cover were torn and the front was decorated sloppily from a child's hand. He placed it down on the table, allowing the front page of the album to come into view. In messy scrawl he had written across the front "Iwa-chan and Me!"

"Five..." Oikawa blinked quickly, forcing the lump in his throat to dissipate. "There are five pictures here that I want to show you. Five pictures... or for me, five memories that go with them. I think... after I show you the pictures, you'll understand what I'm trying to say."

There was no way that he could explain each one of the pictures. They brought back too many images to mind, too many things that were too painful to talk about. All he could do was show them, and hope that they were understood.

He was risking it all, coming here, but Oikawa knew that this was his only option.

He couldn't spend another minute waiting.

Slowly, gingerly, he flipped open the first page of his book. The very first memory he had of Iwaizumi Hajime.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hajime,” his mother had told him, “Make sure you play nice, okay?”
> 
> “I always do.” Iwaizumi grumbled, kicking at the dirt in their front lawn.
> 
> He didn’t.

Oikawa smoothed out the first picture in his album. It was old, evidenced by the wrinkles and fold lines that covered the image. It had clearly been used a lot, brought out to show many.

 

“This is from the first day we met.” Oikawa smiled as he looked up, showing the picture.

 

There was a young Oikawa, grinning at the camera. He was making a peace sign – typical – as Iwaizumi was rubbing the back of his neck next to him. They looked so much different as kids. Iwaizumi looked more relaxed, the smile easy on his thin lips. Oikawa had his am around Iwaizumi who was leaning into the touch subconsciously. Oikawa’s brown hair was ruffled all around his head and Iwaizumi had his typical dark locks.

 

Oikawa had to hold back a sob as the memories came rushing back at him. He didn’t share them, just allowing the picture to speak for himself.

 

\---

 

On the playground, nobody messed with Iwaizumi Hajime.

 

Everyone knew it. He was the kid who didn’t care how big you were. He didn’t care how many friends you had with you. He would fight you, and even if he lost he was sure to leave you with a black eye or take one of your friends down with him. He was notorious for being the only kid who had ever broken the nose of that bully in the fifth grade, a full three years ahead of him.

 

He was always scruffy – constantly with a bandage on his knee, forehead or elbows. His skin deeply tanned from many hours spent playing in the sun, callouses on his fingers from tightly gripping his bug net. Dirt smeared across the front of his shirt from falling or rolling around in the dirt. Mud on his shoes, a mischievous grin on his face. He wasn’t afraid to roll around in the dirt and loved adding new bugs to his collection.

 

When his family decided to pick up and move to another town, apparently they forgot to send this memo to the neighbourhood kids.

 

They moved in during the summer. Iwaizumi didn’t know anybody in this new town and without school to guide him towards other kids his age, his parents had no other option but to send him out during the day to meet other kids.

 

“Hajime,” his mother had told him, “Make sure you play nice, okay?”

 

His mother loved him, he knew that. She and his father provided a good life for him. They worked hard, but didn’t lose family time. It was just the three of them, which Iwaizumi was okay with.

 

“I always do.” Iwaizumi grumbled, kicking at the dirt in their front lawn.

 

He didn’t always play nice.

 

He didn’t like agreeing to play other kids stupid games. They never wanted to go and catch bugs with him even when he tried to humour them and played with them on the playground first. Why did he always have to be the nice one? He had played that game before and wasn’t a fan.

 

Before his mother could lecture him any more he was gone, dashing down the sidewalk in front of his house. He wasn’t thinking, not even registering where he was going as he ran.

 

He was mad that his parents had decided to move him here. He didn’t want to move – he had friends back at his old school. He knew his way around. He knew all the best spots to catch beetles during the summertime. He could walk to the lake by himself, he could run across the street to visit his neighbours who had a dog.

 

He liked it, it was familiar, and his parents had all taken it away.

 

With reason, of course – his father had been promoted – but that wasn’t something his eight-year old brain could process and comprehend. All he felt was betrayed, angry.

 

Now he had to go and make new friends? This was not something that he was good at. He had a few friends back where they used to live. His neighbour, a year younger than him, who would sometimes go out to catch bugs with him. He was pretty quiet but he and Iwaizumi had more so been friends by proximity. Not that they clicked.

 

He wasn’t very good at expressing his emotions in the first place. Now, all he felt was the white hot burn of anger.

 

Which he was awful at controlling.

 

Perhaps that was why he was so eager to fight that day.

 

His feet padded along the paved sidewalk, taking in the sights around him. It looked like his family now lived in a very typical suburban neighbourhood. There were white picket fences, houses painted a myriad of colours. Dogs, cats. Kids. Lots of trees and some houses were even surrounded by flowers and thick green shrubs.

 

Iwaizumi didn’t like it.

 

He missed his old home, where he lived by the beach. He wondered if there even _was_ a beach in this new town. If there was, he’d have to go there sometime soon. Maybe it would help him feel like this new place was “home”, although he was doubtful. He was doubtful of anything at this point.

 

He noticed a large park, which looked promising. He could see a lot of thick trees, plenty that were low-hanging. He was sure that there must be some good bugs hiding in that brush. Some beetles, lots of dragonflies… maybe even some more. The thought was enticing, but he hadn’t brought his bug net and he wasn’t interested in going back home to get it. Not when he was sure his mother would annoy him further if he stepped back inside so soon.

 

He continued on, nodding unfamiliarly at a girl around his age who biked past him. He got closer to what looked like a school playground, although since it was summer, there was nobody supervising it. A bunch of kids were playing, acting rowdy, by the play structure. He didn’t think much of it, until he got closer.

 

He got a very clear view of a tiny brunet boy, crumpled against the dirt, face hidden. Iwaizumi couldn’t make out the words that the kids around them were saying. It didn’t really matter though.

 

Iwaizumi’s feet seemed to be moving of their own accord. He saw nothing but red.

 

He realized what had happened a mere five minutes later, breathing heavily. He wouldn’t learn how to control his anger for some years to come. His lip hurt; running a finger over it, he discovered that it had been split open. His knees hurt from scraping against the ground. He steadies his breathing, taking a step back.

 

All the kids had scattered. That would surely give them the message that Iwaizumi Hajime was not one to be messed with.

 

One kid was left on the ground, the same young brunet boy who was still curled up in a ball. He was shuddering, but his head poked up as he peeked at Iwaizumi.

 

“Who are you?” The brown-haired boy spoke softly. Iwaizumi could see almond eyes looking at him warily, pools of tears in the corners. He still didn’t move from his curled up position, knees hugged to his chest.

 

“Iwaizumi Hajime.” He responded automatically, used to adults asking his name.

 

The brunet boy seemed to mull it over before slowly uncurling. His legs stretched out, Iwaizumi could see some marks on his legs and arms. “Iwa-chan,” he decided.

 

“No, Iwaizumi.”

 

“Iwa-chan.”

 

“ _Iwaizumi_.”

 

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa laughed and Iwaizumi felt light. His laugh was warm, it was relaxing. It was a sound that Iwaizumi wouldn’t mind hearing more often.

 

“Are you okay?” Iwaizumi stepped closer, offering a hand to Oikawa. He stared at it briefly before accepting it, standing to his feet. He was standing, but he didn’t let go of Iwaizumi’s hand. Iwaizumi noticed, silently, that it was still shaking.

 

He was dirty, from the sand and dirt which was now smeared across his shirt and shorts. A big scrape on his knee was trickling a bit of blood although it wasn’t bleeding too badly. A bruise was already forming on his right forearm, a matching one on his left leg. His brown hair was messy, and he swept it back across his face with a hand. He was a little bit shorter than Iwaizumi and was all limbs, knobby knees and elbows. He looked up shyly, “Yeah, I’m fine! Don’t worry about me!” He sang in a high-pitched voice, a smile working its way on his face. It didn’t look real, though. Iwaizumi could see the corner of his mouth twitch, the way his hands curled up into a ball behind his back.

 

“Dummy.” Iwaizumi raised a hand, flicking him on the forehead. “You don’t have to pretend for me.” He pressed a hand to Oikawa’s face, rubbing off the smeared tears until they were gone. Fresh ones threatened to spill but Oikawa used every trick he had to hold them back.

 

Iwaizumi sighed, “Do you live nearby?”

 

Oikawa nodded. “Just… a few streets that way.” He pointed in the direction that Iwaizumi had come from. “But if my mom sees me like this, she’ll flip. I’m just gonna go clean up before I go home.” He pointed towards the bathrooms across the street.

 

“Do you have any band-aids?” Oikawa shook his head at the question.

 

“You really are a dummy.” Iwaizumi sighed. “Come on, I’ll take you home.” He pulled at their connected hands, walking off the playground.

 

They didn’t speak, Oikawa just softly sniffling as he pressed his face against Iwaizumi’s shoulder. He could feel wet tears and snot rubbing against his shirt but he didn’t really care. They trodded along the sidewalk, Iwaizumi squeezing Oikawa’s hand comfortingly.

 

Oikawa mumbled something under his breath that Iwaizumi didn’t catch. “What was that?”

 

Oikawa rubbed his face with the back of his free hand before repeating himself. “Oikawa Tooru. That’s my name.”

 

Iwaizumi hummed. “Okay, then, Oikawa-kun.”

 

“You can call me Tooru.”

 

Iwaizumi hid a blush. “Tooru-kun.”

 

They walked together until they turned towards Iwaizumi’s house. Oikawa walked behind him, his previous upset demeanor seemingly gone. His eyes wide, he looked all around the yard as they walked into Iwaizumi’s house.

 

“Sorry for the intrusion,” Oikawa mumbled as they stepped in. He put his shoes aside and Iwaizumi pulled him down the hall, towards the large bathroom on their main floor. Iwaizumi pointed to the tub where he sat down on the edge of it, legs hanging over the side.

 

Oikawa babbled senselessly, filling Iwaizumi in about everything in the neighbourhood.

 

“Hamada-san at the corner has the cutest dog. He is always getting loose too and running all around. He’s friendly though, so you don’t have to worry.” Oikawa smiled as he spoke and Iwaizumi just nodded. He had a lot of experience with this sort of thing. He rubbed the scrape on his knee with a rubbing alcohol wipe, drying it softly with a warm cloth. He pressed a band-aid down on to it, smoothing out the edges. He was surprisingly gentle when touching Oikawa; something the brunet had not been expecting.

 

“Where are your parents, Iwa-chan?”

 

Iwaizumi hummed thoughtfully. “My dad is at work. My mom said she had to go out to get some groceries, I think.”

 

Iwaizumi helped him with the rest of his scrapes, pressing a band-aid to his cheek after Oikawa washed his face. He ran hands messily through his hair, trying to smooth it down.

 

Iwaizumi laughed at him. Oikawa blushed, “You look so much cuter when you laugh, Iwa-chan.”

 

Iwaizumi smacked him across the shoulder. “Dummy.”

 

“Iwa-chan, you brute!”

 

Oikawa didn’t want to leave, and Iwaizumi didn’t make him. Iwaizumi showed him around his house, allowing him into his mostly-bare bedroom, still not really decorated since they had only moved in a few days ago.

 

They ended up in his backyard where Iwaizumi showed Oikawa his favourite bug books. Oikawa smiled and asked questions, interested in everything that Iwaizumi had to say. Iwaizumi pointed out which bugs he had already caught, which where his favourites and which elusive bugs he had yet to find.

 

When Iwaizumi’s mother came back that evening, she found the two boys in the backyard playing. She breathed a sigh of relief, having been worried that her son might struggle to make friends.

 

When she walked into the backyard, Oikawa scrambled to his feet to politely introduce himself.

 

“I’m Oikawa Tooru!” He beamed. “I’m gonna be Iwa-chan’s new best friend!” He grinned, holding on to the corner of Iwaizumi’s shirt.

 

They were quite the pair – dirty and covered in band-aids. But they were both smiling, and Iwaizumi’s mother couldn’t resist taking a picture of the pair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Let me know your thoughts :) thank you for any and all kudos and comments! Updates will be a little sporadic, but I plan to have this mini series finished within a week or two.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi turned to face him, an eyebrow raised. “Where are your parents?”
> 
> “Oh,” Oikawa shrugged and waved his hand like it was no big deal. “Their flight got cancelled, they won’t be in until the 28th.”
> 
> “So you’re spending Christmas alone?”

Oikawa didn’t speak, only flipping the pages of his book. He passed a few different pictures, showing a very young Iwaizumi and Oikawa – playing in elementary school, catching bugs, grinning while at someone’s birthday party. He landed on a picture from middle school where Oikawa and Iwaizumi were sitting in Iwaizumi’s living room, Oikawa grinning at the camera. Iwaizumi was side-glancing at Oikawa as he was in the midst of unwrapping something in his lap. They were wearing matching red and white Christmas sweaters, decorated hideously with big silhouettes of reindeers.

 

\---

 

Due to his parent’s busy work schedules and his older sister living with her husband, Oikawa spent most his time at home alone.

 

He learned to cook, he kept the house clean. Fed and played with the cat.

 

It wasn’t so bad. His parents really loved him. They kept in close contact with him, calling every second day and sending him text messages here and here. Occasionally his mother would ask to Skype. They left him enough money to buy all the food he would need along with a little bit extra.

 

They would always come home to be with him during the holidays.

 

Until, suddenly, they didn’t.

 

It was three days before Christmas when his father called him to inform Oikawa that they would not be coming home for the holiday. Their travel had been booked for that day, but due to inclement weather their plane had been canceled, and they were unable to fit in anything else during the holiday season. They wouldn’t be able to come home to see him until the 28th of December.

 

Oikawa felt his heart drop at the news, but he did his best to keep a smile on his face as he spoke on the phone.

 

_When you smile while on the phone, the other person can hear it!_ He remembered his mother teaching him, when she had caught him on the telephone looking dreadfully bored, speaking with his grandmother.  

 

Oikawa remembered this advice, and used it to tell his father that he was okay. It wasn’t that big of a deal. They would just celebrate it when they got home. He wasn’t bothered by it.

 

He sounded so convincing that he was almost believing it himself.

 

Hanging up, he looked around at his house. He had taken the time to pull out all of their decorations – everything from the ugly, misshapen reindeer he’d made in the second grade to his mother’s favourite ornaments, carefully crafted and beautifully painted.

 

Instead of feeling joy, he just felt a pit in his stomach.

 

Everyone was away. His sister was spending time with her husband over six hours away, and he really didn’t want to bother her. Oikawa had no other family in the city – his family had moved here a few years ago, which meant anyone related to him lived too far away to visit. That left him to curl up on his couch, pop in his DVD’s of _Firefly_ and proceed to spend the next two days running through them, broken up with naps, food breaks and the occasional binging of _Gravity Falls_. He had just finished the final episode of the show and was about to pop in the disk for the accompanying movie, _Serenity_ , when his doorbell rang.

 

Oikawa blinked, confused. His parents weren’t coming? Who was at the door, carolers?

 

He headed to the door, scratching his stomach and yawning. He hadn’t slept properly at night, too caught up in his show and the broken sleep was affecting him. He yanked open the door and was met with a familiar face.

 

Dark hair and even darker eyes stared at him sharply, taking him in.

 

“Oikawa? Everything okay?”

  
It was Iwaizumi, _of course_ it was Iwaizumi, they always got together on Christmas Eve to exchange their gifts. Best friend tradition and all that. But was it already time for that? How come Iwaizumi hadn’t called him first?

 

At that thought, Oikawa realized that he had no idea where his phone even was, let alone if it had any battery power. _Oh._

Oikawa realized right away that he must have looked off. He was wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a plain grey t-shirt. This would be pretty normal for an average guy, but during the holiday season Oikawa went _all out_. He would go everywhere in one of his many Christmas sweaters, wear socks with reindeer on them and a toque that was red with a white pompom attached to the end of it.

 

“Iwa-chan…” he said softly, realizing he’d barely used his voice at all in two days. “I’m fine. Sorry. I was asleep. Come in.”

 

Oikawa took a step back and Iwaizumi walked into the familiar house. Shoes discarded, he headed into the living room to see Oikawa’s set up, blankets piled on the couch, half eaten bowl of chips on the table. Iwaizumi turned to face him, an eyebrow raised.

 

“Where are your parents?”

 

“Oh,” Oikawa shrugged and waved his hand like it was no big deal. “Their flight got cancelled, they won’t be in until the 28th.”

 

“So you’re spending Christmas alone?”

 

Oikawa looked up into this dark brown eyes and he felt himself crumble. How was it that Iwaizumi could get him to reveal his soul with just a look? He was so malleable to him; he would do anything he asked of him. And so, he nodded.

 

“Okay,” Iwaizumi began. “Go shower and get dressed.” He grabbed a hold of Oikawa’s wrist, pulling him towards the stairs and up to the bathroom.

 

“Um, what? Why?”

 

“Because you’re coming to my house.”

 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s homes were vastly different. This had always been apparent to Oikawa, even as young children. His home was organized, decorated minimally, colours matching and few trinkets covering the tables. The photos that lined the walls were all carefully taken, even more carefully displayed in a series of matching picture frames. It was clear that someone who decorated this house had very specific style, and despite the fact that she wasn’t there very much to appreciate it, Oikawa’s mom had meticulously organized their home.

 

Iwaizumi’s house was the complete opposite of that.

 

It was filled to the brim, odds and ends taking up space in every cabinet, bookshelf and covering many surface. Trinkets, a myriad of photos, statues, books, magazines - _everything imaginable_ was gathered here. His mother loved yard sales and had collected many items, all displayed in their home. Like they had worth, a purpose.

 

While Oikawa got dressed, Iwaizumi fumbled through his bedroom to grab some clothes. Oikawa got out of the shower to a clean outfit laid out for him, his backpack out with some clothes shoved into it. Iwaizumi didn’t like to waste time, and it wasn’t like he didn’t know how Oikawa dressed. He was pleased when he pulled on a pair of black slacks and a black and red Christmas sweater, grabbing his backpack. He dropped in Iwaizumi’s gift – thankfully he had wrapped that a week ago – and headed to the living room where his friend was waiting.

 

Wordlessly they left for Iwaizumi’s house.

 

Once they walked in, Oikawa mumbled a polite greeting as he stepped out of his shoes, putting them away as per usual. As he moved in his eyes were immediately drawn to his favourite picture in the entire house.

 

It was one of both he and Iwaizumi, taken in middle school. They were beaming in their volleyball uniforms, holding up a red and white ball proudly. They had just won and had received news that they would both be going to Aoba Johsai together.

 

Oikawa had been _so happy_. He had bounced around Iwaizumi, beamed like an idiot and didn’t even notice the absence of his own parents when Iwaizumi’s had drawn him in for hugs, squeezing him so tightly.

 

Oikawa had busied himself so quickly that he didn’t even notice Iwaizumi slip away to the kitchen, speaking lowly to his mother who looked surprised at his arrival. She had just nodded knowingly, a small smile on her face as she said “Of course he is welcome, anytime, you know that Hajime.”

 

He never felt like a stranger in that home.

 

Iwaizumi brought him into the kitchen, introducing him to his extended family who were there for dinner. His aunts, uncles, cousins and his grandmother all loved him. The latter of which couldn’t stop commenting on how _cute_ he was behind Oikawa’s back, asking Iwaizumi if he was going to get married sometime soon now that he had such a cute boy in his life.

 

“Grandma,” Iwaizumi would stammer, blushing vividly. “Stop it.”

 

Oikawa would turn around, tilting his head quizzically, but didn’t ask any questions. He just laughed and proceeded to tell jokes to his cousins until it grew late, dessert had been eaten and everyone was heading out.

 

“I should go too,” Oikawa said through a yawn, standing up from where he’d been on the couch. He previously had two sleeping eight-year olds on him, but their parents had whisked them away just an hour before so now he could make his exit. He headed to the door, reaching for his jacket.

 

“No. Stay.” Iwaizumi spoke so confidently, so _sure_. Oikawa turned to face him, eyes locking. He looked serious.

 

“No, Iwa-chan, I couldn’t. I’ve already intruded enough as it is.”

 

“It’s no intrusion.”

 

“It is. I’m sure your mother was surprised to see me.”

 

“Yeah maybe she was surprised, but she was happy that you were here.”

 

“Which is so nice… but I should go. Christmas morning is for family.”

 

“Ugh, Tooru, stop being stubborn. You’re basically family.”

  
At the use of his first name and _then_ the blush-worthy confession from Iwaizumi, Oikawa couldn’t help but flush as he nodded slowly.

 

“Okay, Iwa-chan. I will.”

 

Iwaizumi smirked at his victory, leading the way upstairs to his room. He yawned, stretching, eyes already drooping.

 

“Where’s the futon?” Oikawa asked, dropping his bag down on the floor of Iwaizumi’s room. Iwaizumi’s room always made him smile. It was so _Iwa-chan._ Minimally decorated with cream coloured walls, a few volleyball posters and a bulletin board with clippings and pictures of his life. It wasn’t messy, hardly anything out of place on his desk and all of his clothes were placed securely in his closet.

 

“Too lazy to go get it,” Iwaizumi mumbled as he pulled off his sweater, flopping down on to the bed. “Just sleep here. It’s comfy. And big enough,” To prove his point, he rolled to the far side of the bed and patted on it gently.

 

Oikawa paused, nervously. They hadn’t shared a bed since they were kids; in middle school, they seemed to come to the conclusion that it wasn’t something that they should be doing anymore now that they’d aged.

 

He was glad Iwaizumi wasn’t watching as he shed his sweater, discarding it on his bag, and his socks. He was flushed an obvious red as he slid into bed, squirming a little until he was comfortable under the soft sheets. He breathed slowly, both boys facing away from each other.

 

Oikawa finally relaxed when he felt Iwaizumi ease behind him, falling into sleep. Oikawa slowly turned over to see Iwaizumi’s back, rising and falling softly, his quiet snores indicating sleep.

 

Finally, he let the emotions that wanted to bubble up all day out.

 

Why had he ever thought he was alone?

 

He had his _Iwa-chan_.

 

_His_ Iwa-chan.

 

Who always seemed to somehow _know_ , even when Oikawa didn’t tell him, when something was wrong.

 

Who wouldn’t let Oikawa be alone even when he fought him on it, because he knew.

 

He knew how much Oikawa hated being alone.

 

Tears pricked at his eyes as he pressed forward a bit, laying down _so_ close to Iwaizumi that there was but an inch between their bodies. He could feel his radiated warmth.

 

“Thanks, Iwa-chan. I love you,” he whispered softly, wiping away wet tears as he relaxed into bed.

 

Little did he know, Iwaizumi wasn’t asleep.

 

He was now flushed a beet red, listening to the quiet sounds of Oikawa drifting off to sleep. His own heart beating fast, feeling the sharp, familiar pangs that he felt whenever Oikawa was close.

 

He wished, in that moment, he’d had the courage to tell him _I love you too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any ideas for cute or fluffy or angsty moments for Iwaoi, please comment below! Thanks for reading! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a while! I ended up re-writing the entire beginning this morning. I hope you enjoy! :)

The next photo was a selfie (Oikawa's favourites), of the two of them sitting in a restaurant. The view behind them showed Times Square, people milling about. Iwaizumi made a face, drinking a milkshake while Oikawa grinned and offered a peace sign to the camera.

 

\-----

 

Iwaizumi was the kind of person who valued sleep.

 

Every night, his lights were shut off and his phone silenced (because Oikawa would _always_ text him randomly throughout the night) by ten thirty.

 

He made sure that his room was a comfortable temperature; usually a window open, enough blankets on his bed to keep him warm.

 

He never let homework sit until the last minute, unlike Oikawa who would constantly call him the night before a big assignment was due and cry because he had to pull an all-nighter.

 

So when his phone lit up, _continuously_ , ringing loudly at three in the morning, Iwaizumi was less than pleased.

 

He woke up with a start, groaning and cursing whoever was calling him repeatedly. He tried to grab at his phone, only managing to knock it off his nightstand where it crashed to the floor. Why the hell was it even ringing? It made a more annoying sound than usual.

 

Iwaizumi cursed under his breath, reaching towards the floor to try and grab it. He stretched, stretched, was so close-

 

And he tumbled right out of bed.

 

“What?!” Iwaizumi growled angrily when he finally managed to hit the call button, not even checking the caller identification.

 

He got nothing but sniffles on the other end.

 

“Hello?” Iwaizumi blinked repeatedly, moving his phone to check who was calling. His phone showed the contact “Trashykawa”.

 

The voice on the other end breathed heavily before sniffling again.

 

“Oikawa?”

 

“Iwa-chan.” He sniffed on the other end.

 

“What’s wrong?” Iwaizumi was still annoyed, but did his best to try and soften out his voice because he really didn’t like how upset Oikawa sounded.

 

“What, did another girl reject you?”

 

“Iwa-chan!” He shouted annoyed into the phone, but he wasn’t sniffling any more.

 

Iwaizumi chuckled. “Okay, then tell me what’s wrong.”

 

“My parents cancelled on me.” He could hear some shuffling, like Oikawa was getting more comfortable in bed. “We were all supposed to go to New York together during our school break. You know, family time, or whatever.”

 

Iwaizumi grunted, showing he was listening as he climbed back into bed. He squirmed around, trying to find a comfortable spot again, which was always so much harder the second time.

 

“My dad just sent me a text. A _text_ , Iwa-chan. He isn’t even trying anymore.” Oikawa sighed, breathing heavily, and Iwaizumi could tell he was trying hard to not cry. Despite the image he put on at school, the brown-eyed boy that he knew was a huge crybaby.

 

“Want me to come over?”

 

“But Iwa-chan, it’s raining.”

 

“What?” Iwaizumi sat up, pulling open his curtains. Low and behold… it was pouring outside. “Oh. Shit.”

 

Oikawa laughed a bit, “You couldn’t hear it, Iwa-chan?”

 

“No,” Iwaizumi breathed deeply, “I was sleeping until you called.

 

“Oh.” Oikawa paused, leading to a long silence. “I’m sorry Iwa-chan…”

 

“It…it’s okay.” Iwaizumi managed to grunt that out, because really it wasn’t okay, he would spend all day a zombie but if it meant Oikawa would stop crying, he supposed that was the sacrifice he had to make. That was what best friends were for, right?

 

“My parents said _I_ can still go, but…” Oikawa stumbled over his words. “I don’t want to go by myself. Will you come with me Iwa-chan?”

 

“What?” Iwaizumi paused. He was honestly surprised.

 

“You didn’t have plans with your family, right?”

 

“No…” His family would just be staying at home for the break, which usually meant that his mother would find some project for him to complete. The last few breaks he had constructed furniture, painted the living room and landscaped.

 

“Do you want to?” Oikawa asked slowly, like he somehow wasn’t sure what the answer would be.

 

“I’ll have to ask my mom.”

 

“Yay! Aww she’ll be happy that her little Iwa-chan is hanging out with a friend, and not being a lonely old grump over break.”

 

“Hmmm no wait I changed my mind, I’m gonna stay at home.”

 

“No, Iwa-chan! I’m sorry! What I meant is being an awesome manly man building furniture and sanding stuff.”

 

Iwaizumi laughed, breathily. “Go to sleep, Oikawa. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

 

“Goodnight, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa sang, sounding _so_ much better and Iwaizumi felt his heart beat race as Oikawa hung up, leaving him with a dial tone.

 

Iwaizumi groaned, rolling over on his stomach.

 

It was official. He _definitely_ had a crush on Oikawa.

 

\-----

 

Iwaizumi’s mother said yes.

 

“Oh, of course you can go with Tooru!” His mother smiled that next morning as he brought it up to her over breakfast. She was sipping a cup of coffee as Iwaizumi took another bite of his eggs.

 

“Great. Thanks, mom.”

 

She nodded, humming knowingly as their back door opened.

 

“Sorry for the intrusion!” Oikawa called from the door. “Iwa-chan!”

 

“Kitchen,” came his loud response, rolling his eyes. Of course Oikawa had come over.

 

Iwaizumi’s mother just chuckled, turning back to the stove. “Tooru, do you want some breakfast?”

 

“Yes please!” Oikawa entered, smiling. Despite the fact that he probably hadn’t slept much last night, he looked bright. He was also wearing a shirt that Iwaizumi was pretty sure was his and he couldn’t figure out why that thought made him blush so hard.

 

Oikawa plopped down at the table, across from Iwaizumi. His mother gave him a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, dropping down a cup for him which Oikawa filled from the jug of orange juice on the table. “Iwa-chan, did you ask about coming break?”

 

Iwaizumi nodded, swallowing a bite of toast. “Yeah. Mom said I can go.”

 

“Yay! Thanks, auntie!” Oikawa grinned, digging into his breakfast. He hummed happily as Iwaizumi’s mother sat down, eating her own breakfast. Oikawa regaled them with stories and questions, always talking so loudly and eagerly, even though Iwaizumi was hardly listening. He was _still_ focusing a little too hard on the fact that that was _definitely_ his shirt.

 

“Thanks for breakfast, it was lovely!” Oikawa grinned.

 

“Anytime, Tooru. You know you’re always welcome. Besides, you eat a lot more eagerly than Hajime.”

 

Oikawa laughed, “Oh Iwa-chan, it wouldn’t hurt to not look like you’ve just swallowed a lemon.”

 

Oikawa recoiled as Iwaizumi smacked him on the back of the head. “Ow, Iwa-chan, you brute!”

 

\-----

 

“Hey, Shittykawa, you’re drooling on me.” Iwaizumi spoke gruffly as he nudged Oikawa. They were on the plane now, rapidly approaching their New York.

 

“Hmm… mean… Iwa-chan…” Oikawa mumbled, groggily rubbing his eyes. He pursed his lips, blinking as Iwaizumi offered him his bottle of water. Oikawa took it, taking a sip and humming in appreciation. “Thanks, Iwa-chan.”

 

“Mhm. I thought I was mean?”

 

“No, you only pretend. You’re actually a big softie.”

 

Iwaizumi scoffed. “No, I think you’re just a bad judge of character.”

 

Oikawa rummaged through his bag, grabbing out a bag of trail mix. He picked out his favourites, biting down on chocolate bits, pretzels and peanuts. He offered the bag to Iwaizumi, who took a handful – making sure to grab some raisins, which he knew Oikawa didn’t like.

 

“Yeah. Total softie.” Oikawa snickered, until Iwaizumi smacked him across the back of the head.

 

They somehow made it off the plane and through customs, despite Oikawa’s extremely lacking English skills. Iwaizumi just rolled his eyes, filling through the blanks and relaying the English instructions to Oikawa. They rolled out into the street, out of the airport, grinning wildly.

 

“Look, Iwa-chan!!” He pointed out towards the street. As they walked, he pointed out _everything_. The hot dog stand that Iwaizumi had to convince him not to stop at; cab drivers having meltdowns stuck in traffic; other tourists from around the world who looked just as enthralled and interested as Oikawa did.

 

They checked into the hotel first – thankfully, it was all pre-paid, so nobody questioned the fact that there were two minors checking in without their parents. It also helped that Iwaizumi did not have the biceps of a teenager, nor did Oikawa have the height or charm of one. They dropped off their bags, heading off to check out the city.

 

\-----

 

Iwaizumi had seen Oikawa make a lot of faces before.

 

There was the face he made when talking to his fangirls. It was this ridiculously fake smile that apparently only Iwaizumi could see through, but Oikawa never really looked happy doing it. His lips pulled too thin, his eyes were never crinkled properly. It was honestly a disgrace considering that Iwaizumi was 95% sure that if you bottled up the essence of one of his real smiles you could make flowers bloom in the arctic.

 

He had an extremely determined face he would make when he got really serious playing volleyball. This face came out every time they faced Shiratorizawa, when their scores were _really_ close, it seemed like they might be able to truly win this time if he just aced that last jump shot, pulled everyone’s potential right to the surface.

 

This face, though? He looked extremely uncomfortable, which was something that Iwaizumi was not really used to. He was standing against a fence in Central Park, waiting for Iwaizumi who had disappeared off to get them some drinks from a nearby machine.

 

It probably had something to do with the fact that Oikawa definitely didn’t understand everything that the woman was saying, and also due to the fact that women were a lot more straightforward in America. He could flirt with girls all day long back home and nobody would bat an eye, certainly never think that he was actually seriously interested in a proposition.

 

Iwaizumi sighed. The things he did for Oikawa. He walked up to them, the girl looking over at him with interest.

 

“Ready to go, Oikawa?” He asked, speaking in Japanese for him.

 

The brunet nodded readily. “Yes, Iwa-chan.” He turned to step away and as the woman began to say something, Iwaizumi grabbed on to Oikawa’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

 

 _“We have to go, sorry.”_ Iwaizumi didn’t offer her a smile as he pulled Oikawa away, walking down the park.

 

“So manly, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa smiled as they walked hand in hand. He didn’t pull away his hand, and neither did Iwaizumi.

 

“Well someone has to take care of your stupid ass.”

 

Oikawa just laughed, this time, not punctuating it with his typical _Mean, Iwa-chan!_

 

“Thanks,” he grinned, “now let’s go get some food. I feel like this park goes on forever!”

 

Iwaizumi nodded.

 

Oikawa treated him to pizza, regaling him with the very best tourist attractions that he jotted down from _Trip Advisor._ They laughed, trying to converse with Americans as best as they could. Iwaizumi actually proved that he could hold a conversation and pretty well. (“Iwa-chan, all of those episodes of _Adventure Time_ have really paid off!”)

 

Their trip was busy.

 

They checked out the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park, Oikawa insisting they get a plethora of selfies with it. Iwaizumi groaned loudly, but _might_ have changed his home screen on his phone to a picture of the two of them.

 

Oikawa understood about a third of the Broadway play they watched, Iwaizumi whispering to him to fill in the blanks whenever he tapped against his hand incessantly in confusion. They laughed, Oikawa sharing his snacks as he knew Iwaizumi needed to eat often.

 

Rockefeller Center ate the majority of one of their days. Oikawa grabbed on to Iwaizumi’s hand (“I don’t want to lose you, Iwa-chan, I’ll never be able to see you in this crowd!” which earned him a firm smack) dragging him from store to store. Oikawa bought himself and Iwaizumi sweatshirts, he got Iwaizumi a keychain and dragged him to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck.

 

Times Square was a favourite of Oikawa’s, who loved to people watch. He dragged Iwaizumi into a restaurant, snagging a table by the window. Oikawa loved American food – he munched on a pile of fries as he gazed out the window, narrating people’s lives to Iwaizumi.

 

Oikawa nodded towards a twenty-something woman with long black hair and a coffee in her hands. “She’s going to work. She definitely working in theatre. Her parents don’t have money to support her so she works as a waitress afterwords.” He pointed to her bag, where a red shirt was sticking out.

 

Iwaizumi nodded, sipping his iced tea. “What about him?” He pointed towards a young-looking man, looking sleek and sharp in a dark gray suit.

 

“He works for his dad. He isn’t very good at it, but he’s got Daddy to push him through the hardest stuff. Married, but he’s got a little someone on the side.” He highlighted the lipstick stain on the collar of his shirt.

 

Iwaizumi laughed, “Oh, and what would people say about us?”

 

Oikawa smirked, dipping one of his fries in ketchup before eating it. “That’s easy. We’re two super-cute Japanese tourists who take way too many pictures and are still getting used to eating _so many things_ with our hands.”

 

Iwaizumi laughed, “That’s just about right.”

 

\-----

 

 

Iwaizumi flicked through some channels on the television, nothing really settling in. He was tired, their day had been long, he just wanted to get to sleep. It was their last night in New York; they had been quite busy during this whole trip but for some reason he felt restless and couldn’t get comfortable.

 

Some reason? Who was he kidding… Iwaizumi knew exactly why he couldn’t relax. Oikawa was still in the shower in the bathroom in their hotel room, the sound of the water running somewhat soothing. He was naked, in the shower, and Iwaizumi was having these kinds of thoughts about his best friend. That was not okay.

 

He wrestled with his thoughts for a while longer until the shower shut off, and Oikawa emerged. He was rubbing a towel in his hair, wearing nothing but a pair of gray briefs.

 

It wasn’t a big deal – Iwaizumi saw him half-naked all the time; changing before volleyball practice, countless trips to the beach or the pool, lying in the shade in Iwaizumi’s backyard when the heat got to be way too much and their air conditioning was broken. The briefs weren’t horribly revealing, it wasn’t like he was hard or anything and Iwaizumi was able to stare at his long legs often in shorts at practice.

 

Still, Iwaizumi found himself turning over, facing the window and flushing.

 

The bed dipped beside him and he whipped around to see Oikawa sitting down on the other side of it. His hair now dry, he had pulled on a pair of old plaid pyjama pants and a light gray t-shirt. He slid under the covers, letting out a soft sigh. “It’s cold in here, Iwa-chan.”

 

But there was something off about the sound of his voice. Usually he sounded so cheery, bright and full of happiness – but now? He sounded quiet. Soft.

 

“No, it’s not.”

 

“It is, Iwa-chan! Cuddle with me!”

 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, not moving from where he lay. It wasn’t that weird of a request – they would hug and cuddle all the time as kids, and even as teenagers, whenever one of them was feeling overwhelmed or upset they would seek comfort in each other. Still though, Iwaizumi wanted to hear the truth. “I will when you tell me what’s really wrong.”

 

“Nothing, it’s just… it’s stupid, okay?” Oikawa huffed but he could see that Iwaizumi wasn’t really relenting. “My mom would just have really liked that one tour we took today. I miss her, and my dad.”

 

“You’re right.” Iwaizumi smiled and drew Oikawa in close to his chest. Instinctively the brunet nuzzled right against Iwaizumi, sighing happily as he drowned himself in the familiar warmth and scent.

 

“Thanks for coming with me, Iwa-chan.” He sighed softly, eyes fluttering closed.

 

“Of course, Trashykawa.”

 

“Mean, Iwa-chan! We were having a moment!”

 

Iwaizumi just laughed. He sighed contentedly, hands running soothingly down the length of Oikawa’s back, who hummed in appreciation. They relaxed into each other, breathing softly as Oikawa was lulled into a soft sleep.

 

Oikawa mumbled something softly under his breath which Iwaizumi strained to hear.

 

“What was that?” Iwaizumi asked softly, nose pressed into Oikawa’s hair, but the brunet didn’t answer.

 

He figured that Oikawa had fallen asleep, but no. He was beet red, eyes shut firmly, heart racing as he realized that he had just tried to confess to Iwaizumi. He breathed heavily, desperate to find the courage to say it again, but he couldn’t get the words out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At seven forty-six, his cell phone rang. It was the familiar space-themed ringtone that Oikawa had picked out for when he called.
> 
> Iwaizumi looked at his phone, confused. Sure enough, the contact read “Shittykawa” and there was a picture of Oikawa giving a peace sign to the camera that he’d put there himself. It rang two more times before Iwaizumi snapped out of it and hit the answer button.
> 
> “Oikawa?” He said into the phone, “did you make it home?”
> 
> “Iwa-chan…” the voice on the other end was small, and hoarse, and it sounded like he’d been crying. “Iwa-chan, I can’t walk.”

The next picture Oikawa turned to was a shot of him and Iwaizumi, sitting in his backyard. They weren’t looking at the camera, sitting on a bench. It was a beautiful spring day – the cherry blossoms looked fantastic in this shot – but they weren’t looking at the flowers. They were just looking at each other.

Their faces looked tired, as though they’d gone an entire night without sleeping. Oikawa’s hair was messy – a rare sight, considering that he almost always kept it carefully groomed. Iwaizumi looked content, though, his hands clasped firmly in Oikawa’s. A black blanket was slung over their laps, keeping them warm.

\-----

Iwaizumi would never forget the day he got _that_ phone call from Oikawa.

He was sitting at home after a long day of schoolwork and practice. He’d left the gym only a half an hour prior, leaving Oikawa who had promised him he would go home after another fifteen minutes of practice. He had trusted what he’d said, heading home before him, which was something that he didn’t usually do. Normally he would wait for Oikawa, but today he was tired. He had a hard test, a pounding headache and he didn’t want to be in that gym even a second longer.

At seven forty-six, his cell phone rang. It was the familiar space-themed ringtone that Oikawa had picked out for when he called.

Iwaizumi looked at his phone, confused. Sure enough, the contact read “Shittykawa” and there was a picture of Oikawa giving a peace sign to the camera that he’d put there himself. It rang two more times before Iwaizumi snapped out of it and hit the answer button.

“Oikawa?” He said into the phone, “did you make it home?”

“Iwa-chan…” the voice on the other end was small, and hoarse, and it sounded like he’d been crying. “Iwa-chan, I can’t walk.”

“Stay right there.”

Iwaizumi jolted out of the house, not even telling his parents where he was going. He was so glad that he didn’t live far from their school – on foot, he was able to run there in a matter of six and a half minutes. He panted, bursting through the doors of the gym.

The lights were still on, a few stray volleyballs on one side. His head whipped from side to side until his eyes finally landed on the figure curled up on the far end of the gym. “Oikawa!” He called, walking closer.

Oikawa turned his head, looking at Iwaizumi with watery eyes. His face expressed so many different emotions – shock, sadness, anxiousness. “Iwa-chan,” he said in a panicked voice.

Iwaizumi rushed to his side, falling to his knees next to him. Oikawa reached for him instinctively, gripping tightly on to his shoulders. Iwaizumi could feel that he was trembling. Iwaizumi took a second to get a visual overview of his friend: he wasn’t bleeding from what he could tell, no obvious bruising yet but he was keeping his leg very steady despite the fact that his back was hunched over. He asked, “Oikawa, what happened?”

“I…” Oikawa gripped his shoulders tighter, pressing his face against Iwaizumi’s chest. He could feel how wet it was with tears. “I set the alarm on my phone… for 15 minutes, like I promised you…” His voice broke and he swallowed a sob. “But when it went off I decided to do just a few more… I’m so sorry Iwa-chan, I’m so sorry.” He let out shaky breaths as Iwaizumi froze, unsure how to help him.

Slowly, gingerly, Iwaizumi put a hand around Oikawa, resting on his back. “Did you get hurt?”

“I-I think I did something bad to my knee… It hurts so bad, Iwa-chan… I can’t stand on it.”

Iwaizumi’s expression paled; thankfully, Oikawa still was buried against his shirt so he missed it. His eyes flicked to his injured knee. “We… we need to get you to the hospital.”

Oikawa nodded, pulling away to wipe his face with the back of his hand. “My parents are at work. They can be here to pick me up in an h-hour. I’m… I’m sorry Iwa-chan…” he blinked back tears. “I’ll call them, I just needed to tell you… I’m sorry, I didn’t listen to you.”

Iwaizumi, betraying his true gentle nature, pressed a thumb against his best friend’s cheek and wiped away a tear. “I’ll call my mom. She can be here in five minutes.”

“Are you s-sure? It’s late, I don’t want to burden her-“

“Just shut up and don’t move.”

Iwaizumi grabbed his phone, dialing his mother. He stayed on the gym floor with Oikawa while they waited, saying nothing, but staying with him until the doors to the gym opened.

He got Oikawa standing – with fresh tears from a stumble – and into his mother’s car, quickly ending up at the hospital. They waited in the emergency room. Iwaizumi’s mother disappeared off to go and call Oikawa’s parents when a nurse came in to help him into a wheelchair and usher him into the emergency room.

She turned to wheel him off before Oikawa snatched Iwaizumi’s hand. “Don’t leave me, Iwa-chan.”

So he didn’t.

That night was easily one of the most stressful nights of his life, but at the same time, it brought him closer to Oikawa than he would have ever thought possible.

He sat with him while the nurse examined him, and then the doctor. He held his hand, only letting go when Oikawa had to go in for X-rays. He stayed even when Oikawa’s parents had shown up, interrogating the nurses and doctors to ensure their son was getting the best care.

When Oikawa was put in a room for the night – because it was late, he was exhausted, dehydrated and unable to walk – he wouldn’t let Iwaizumi’s hand go and so he stayed at his side. Iwaizumi sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall – it was just after midnight now. He hoped that his mother wouldn’t be too angry if he didn’t go to school the next day.

Oikawa had been extremely silent since Iwaizumi helped him into the bed. Iwaizumi’s mother had gone home and Oikawa’s parents had disappeared off somewhere – no doubt to hassle one of the doctors or ensure that he was really getting the best care. They loved their son, they certainly did, but they sometimes got to be a bit much. Iwaizumi did not envy the nurses that had to deal with Oikawa’s assertive mother.

“Iwa-chan…” Oikawa spoke at last, looking at the wall on the other side of his bed, refusing to meet Iwaizumi’s eyes. “What’s gonna happen if I can’t play volleyball again? I can’t be your teammate again… I won’t be able to do anything…” He closed his eyes, biting his lip. “I’ll be usele-“

“Stop.” Iwaizumi frowned. “You’re going to be fine, Oikawa. Even if you can’t? You’re far from useless.”

Oikawa nodded but Iwaizumi noted that his expression hadn’t changed. That worried him. Where had he gotten this dangerous idea that all he was good for was his volleyball? Iwaizumi didn’t know how to help his friend. He usually did so with aggression – a head butt, a smack to the arm – but that didn’t seem like it would really do in this case.

So Iwaizumi just pulled a chair up to the edge of the bed, letting his calloused fingers find Oikawa’s palm. Oikawa just stared as he threaded their fingers together, leaning back in his chair. “I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, Oikawa, but you’re stuck with me.”

\-----

Iwaizumi jolted awake in the morning, rubbing at his neck. It was a bit sore from having slept in a chair. Wait…why was he in a chair?

He looked around, remembering that he was in the hospital. _Oh, yeah._ Oikawa. Somehow he had been allowed to stay here for the evening. He had no idea what Oikawa’s parents had done to have that happen but he was glad to be able to look over and see Oikawa, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

He still looked tired – which he was sure was reflected on his own face. Oikawa’s hair was messy, tousled into the most adorable bedhead. He pursed his lips before smiling. “G’morning, Iwa-chan.”

“Wow, Oikawa, how much product do you have to use to tame that in the morning?”

“Rude, Iwa-chan!”

They bickered, Iwaizumi feeling extremely relieved that his friend was looking better than yesterday. He was about to get up to go and find them something to eat when the door opened, revealing Oikawa’s mother and a doctor.

“Good morning, Oikawa-kun,” the doctor addressed Oikawa. “As I’ve told your mother, your knee is going to be fine. You were very lucky. It’s only a minor injury.” He came closer to give a more detailed description of what happened, but Iwaizumi wasn’t listening.

_He was going to be okay_.

All evening, Iwaizumi had been plagued with guilt. Why had he left the gym? Why did he let Oikawa practice for fifteen more minutes? Why hadn’t he been there when it happened? Could he had prevented it?

But looking at Oikawa who squeezed his hand excitedly, he couldn’t help but feel relief.

“You’re going to have to take the next two weeks off. You’ll need to wear a knee brace at all times until then, and after that point you will just need to wear it when you play sports.” The doctor looked at him carefully. “You will have to be very careful. I understand you’re a volleyball player?”

Oikawa nodded. “I’m the official setter for our team. I _have_ to play.”

“And you can, but you can’t practice this hard. If you hurt this knee again, it could mean the end of your volleyball career forever. Understand?”

Oikawa nodded. Iwaizumi, too, took the words to heart.

They brought Oikawa a brace and he tried it on, stretching his knee gently. The nurses showed him a few stretches for his knee and told him it was important that he got it moving and exercising; he couldn’t just stop that all together.

They were at Oikawa’s house just a few hours later. Iwaizumi had called his mother who was thankfully alright with letting him stay with Oikawa for the day.

For some reason, Oikawa was not nearly as demanding as Iwaizumi expected him to be. When he had a cold he would get Iwaizumi running around as much as humanly possible. He’d request tea, warm blankets, snacks and cuddles, bugging Iwaizumi until he got annoyed enough and started refusing. But today, he was quiet. He thanked Iwaizumi for the water he gave him, refusing everything else he was offered.

After fifteen minutes of awkward silence, Iwaizumi was getting annoyed. “Oikawa, come on. We’re going to go sit outside.”

“What?”

Iwaizumi didn’t respond, instead just standing up. He sought out a blanket from the hall closet, slinging it over his shoulder. When he returned, Oikawa was still just sitting there.

“I _said_ we are going outside, come on.”

Iwaizumi offered him a hand, which his best friend slowly accepted. Their fingers slid together and Iwaizumi pulled him up. Oikawa was very tentative about walking but found it easier than expected. He leaned some of his weight on Iwaizumi whenever it began to hurt but found that the doctor was right – he could bend and walk on it without too much pain.

Iwaizumi led him out his back door and down the steps into his backyard. His family had a generous space there – a bench on one side, where Iwaizumi led Oikawa. The yard was filled with soft green grass and cherry blossoms swaying overhead in the soft breeze. It was beautiful, with the sun shining down softly above them. There was but a few clouds in the sky. With the fence surrounding them, they couldn’t see anyone other than each other.

With it being the middle of the day on a Tuesday, there were no kids or even adults hanging around which allowed them to relax in a comfortable silence.

They sat and Iwaizumi spread the blanket over both of their laps and legs. Oikawa cuddled down under it, feeling the bite of spring in the air. He let out a soft breath, trying to steel his thoughts until his mouth seemed to move of its own accord.

“Did you mean it, Iwa-chan?”

Iwaizumi looked at him quizzically. “What are you talking about?”

Oikawa sighed, looking away. “What you said at the hospital…last night.”

“I said a lot of things.”

“Are you going to make me say it again, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa huffed. “That… that you’re not going anywhere. That you will – that you _want to_ stay with me.” He was blushing, his cheeks flushed the most endearing shade of red.

“Yes,” Iwaizumi replied. He knew that he probably should have felt embarrassed at the blush-worthy confession, but this was his best friend. He and Oikawa had been to hell and back together. He wouldn’t let _anything_ tear them apart.

“You’re my best friend, Oikawa. My partner. I’m not going anywhere, ever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness. I love these two. They're so pure and honest and adorable and loving and urghhh it melts my heart!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! :) <3 I have the next chapter all ready, I just have to edit it, so this story will be concluded quite soon.


	6. Chapter 6

“Just one more,” Oikawa said quietly, flipping further into the book. It wasn’t the last page – far from it – but the picture he stopped on was one of the most important memories he had.

The picture was a selfie taken by Oikawa of him and Iwaizumi. They were sitting on the grass on New Year’s Eve, preparing to watch the fireworks. In the photo it was dark, the only illumination being the moonlight and their camera’s flash. Oikawa was giving a heartfelt smile to the camera, and even Iwaizumi was grinning.

* * *

 

Oikawa loved fireworks.

New Year’s Eve was one of his favourite times of year. He loved the elegant outfits, the way that everyone got together and seemed to be in a good mood.

He loved the colours, the energy, the bright lights and brighter smiles.

He loved the food, sweet candy apples and savoury skewers.

He would flit about, spinning as he tried everything that the stalls had to offer. He would play games, trying to fish up goldfish, crying dramatically when he would lose, which happened every single time.

(Iwaizumi always knew that it was on purpose. He really didn’t want a pet goldfish.)

Mostly what he loved was that it was an evening where he got Iwaizumi all to himself. Even though it was begrudgingly – sometimes Iwaizumi had to be dragged out, complaining of not wanting to stand outside where it was hot or be surrounded by crowds…

But he always went.

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa grinned, walking over from a stall. He was holding in his hand two little croissants that were steaming, fresh out of the fryer. Iwaizumi stopped, watching as Oikawa spun in a circle before he passed him one of the sweets to try. His childhood nickname had never left, despite his best attempts to get him to call him _‘Iwaizumi-kun’_. Yet, for some reason, Iwaizumi didn’t really mind.

He bit into the hot baked good and sighed happily. He had always had a sweet tooth. “It’s really good, Oikawa.” Even though Oikawa had never dropped the childhood nickname, Iwaizumi didn’t call him by his first name anymore. He had told Oikawa that it was weird for two boys to be doing that in high school – Oikawa complained mercilessly for weeks, hating the way he said _Oikawa_ instead of _Tooru_ but Iwaizumi was very determined. He was a lot more stubborn than Oikawa who finally relented, accepting his fate.

Oikawa finished his own treat, licking his lips to get some of the stray chocolate from his face. “Yeah, I still think these are the best ones! Last year that stall had the best, too, but they didn’t have chocolate.”

“Hm, yeah. I think the chocolate is even better than the apple they had last year.”

“I agree,” Oikawa nodded, eyes scanning around to decide where they should visit next. His eyes locked on a group of people a little way down the road and he grabbed on to Iwaizumi’s arm. “Come on, Iwa-chan!” He pulled him in towards some open air space where a few people were playing music. Some were dancing but Oikawa knew that was out of the option. He’d gotten Iwaizumi here – he really didn’t want to press his luck. He knew the shorter boy absolutely hated dancing in public (he was _convinced_ he was awful at it, but Oikawa knew better than that).

So instead Oikawa just twirled and dropped him off on the benches. “One song,” he said with a grin.

“Every year you say once song and it’s at least three.”

“Well, if you danced _with_ me, then I’d make sure it’s only one.”

Iwaizumi glared at his friend, moving his body to get up and leave.

“No, no! Iwa-chan! Fine, fine, only one song!”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Pinky promise?” The brunet offered him one of his pinkies. This was lame, so lame, and ridiculous for two high school boys to be doing-

“Fine. I’ll wait here.”

“Yay, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa smiled widely – a real smile, one that he didn’t offer to many people – and turned away, getting lost in the crow of people and the music.

Every year, Iwaizumi acted like it was some sort of hardship for him to sit on a bench for ten minutes while Oikawa joined in on one of the traditional dances. He’d often cross his arms, make some dramatic gesture like he was going to leave and offer some sort of snippy reply.

Every year, Iwaizumi loved it.

He knew that Oikawa picked his outfit just for this purpose. When he was younger he would often participate in performances during the festivals, but he gave that up in high school when he focused all of his spare time on to volleyball. Still, it was something that was close to his heart and it showed in the way he moved to the music.

He moved elegantly, with a certain grace that Iwaizumi recognized as being very similar to the way he moved on the volleyball court. He had an excellent control of his body. His arms moved in tandem to the music, spinning and twirling, carefully orchestrating his dance. His feet never stomped, instead gliding across the floor with perfect ease. He laughed, joining in effortlessly with those who were around him. It didn’t matter that he had no idea who they were; he was never shy, never afraid to mingle. He had grown exponentially from the quiet, timid little kid that Iwaizumi had rescued so many years ago.

He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t. His stomach knotted painfully as thoughts began to churn over in his head – thoughts that had plagued him for years, but were bothering him much more frequently now.

One, he was pretty sure that he was gay. Only if ‘pretty sure’ now means 100% positive. The last and only time he’d kissed a girl the feeling was so wildly unpleasant he was certain he was doomed to a life of monkhood. That is until he was talking one day with Oikawa and thought, randomly, while glancing at his lips: _you know, his lips look pretty nice. Soft. I bet it’d feel nice to kiss him._

Two, he was also pretty sure that he was in love with Oikawa. Being around him, no matter what they were doing, was so comfortable and warm. He gave him butterflies – Iwaizumi made a face at how cliché it was, but that didn’t make it any less true.

Three, he and Oikawa were going to be going to separate colleges in two months and the thought of living without him was terrifying. This summer, since it was their last before leaving, Oikawa had constantly been at his side. He’d claimed it was because he wanted to make sure Iwaizumi wouldn’t forget his “super cool best friend” (What an idiot, like that was even possible). They’d played volleyball, gone shopping, watched movies, even gone on a camping trip with the rest of Iwaizumi’s family. It was amazing, and his heart beat so quickly at remembering that he had shared a tent with Oikawa. The brunet’s complaining and fear of bugs had even somehow become less annoying when he chose to deal with it disappearing into his sleeping bag or burying his face against Iwaizumi’s chest (“The bugs won’t come to me now, Iwa-chan, your face is definitely going to scare them off!”)

Four, he wanted so badly to confess to Oikawa, to rid himself of this weight but was too terrified of the possibility of him reacting poorly. What if he didn’t want to be friends anymore? He was sure that he could eventually get over rejection, but he just couldn’t survive losing his best friend.

Iwaizumi was jolted out of his thoughts with a giggle and an “Iwa-chan!”

He looked up into those almond eyes and Oikawa was standing above him, looking down with concern. “Are you okay, Iwa-chan? You looked really deep in thought.”

“I’m fine,” he said gruffly. “Was that just one song?”

“Yup! I pinky-promised, remember?” Oikawa wiggled his finger for emphasis and smiled. Damn it, that smile should have been illegal. It was no wonder Iwaizumi couldn’t control his gay around him. He just wanted to pull him into a hug and-

“The fireworks are starting in half an hour! Should we grab some snacks and then go to our usual spot?”

“Oh. Uh, sure.” Iwaizumi took Oikawa’s outstretched hand, standing up. Their hands stayed connected for a little bit longer than was truly necessary before Oikawa let go, turning around to head back to the food stalls.

“Hmm, do you want something sweet, Iwa-chan?”

“Yeah,” he said easily, eyes scanning over the different stalls. Food was a welcome distraction. “Is that okay with you?”

“Yup! If my Iwa-chan is happy, I’m happy.”

 _Your_ Iwa-chan? _-_

“How about here?” He pointed to a stand that was frying up what looked like mini donut holes. “Those are always good.”

“Okay.” Iwaizumi decided to just forget about that little comment.

They approached the stand and ordered, getting some delicious-looking little pastries all stuck together on a big skewer. They were drizzled with chocolate sauce and caramel. Iwaizumi tried to steal one before they left only to be chided by Oikawa, “Not yet! We need to save them for the fireworks!”

“Just one!”

“…Fine.”

Grinning to his success, he stole just one of them as they walked off and away from the crowds.

Since they came to this event every year together since they were about seven years old, they had scouted out the best spot to sit and always ensured that they got there early. While most people tended to stay close to the festival, crowding around the waters edge, these boys knew better. They climbed up and away from the crowds; not too far away there was a big hill and at the top, a small clearing. It was just large enough for the them to spread out and relax, and with the added height they always had a good view of the fireworks.

“I’m so excited! They’re apparently extra special this year,” Oikawa chatted as he plopped down on to the ground. He fished around in his bag, pulling out a bottle of sweet iced tea. He offered it to Iwaizumi who accepted. How did he always remember exactly what his favourites were?

“Should be good.” Iwaizumi sat down next to him and allowed silence to envelop them.

Strangely enough, Oikawa didn’t try to fill it. He simply sat, staring at the sky, a relaxed look on his face.

 _It’s now or never_ , Iwaizumi thought to himself. He had spent the better part of the last year thinking about confessing to Oikawa. The more he thought about it, the more he knew that he had to do it. Even if he said no – Iwaizumi couldn’t leave in two months knowing that he didn’t even try.

“Oikawa, I-“

“Look, Iwa-chan!” A smile warmed his features and he pointed up to where the first firework exploded up in the sky, raining down in brilliant shades of red and orange.

And there went that opportunity. Sighing, Iwaizumi nodded and leaned back on his palms. He looked up at the sky as the second explosion lit up the sky, this time in pinks and purples. Next to him Oikawa laughed, but Iwaizumi couldn’t look at him. He knew just how good Oikawa looked under the moonlight and with these fireworks he was sure that he-

Oh, no.

He looked.

Iwaizumi had to swallow thickly at seeing his best friend. Flowers must bloom at the sight of that smile, he decided, watching Oikawa. He was also leaning back on his palms, eyes fixated on the sky. They were wide and shiny, taking in everything with excitement. His hair was a little messy from their walk but he didn’t seem to notice, or care.

And suddenly he was caught, so wrapped up in the moment that his body reacted before he even knew what he was doing.

His hand found Oikawa’s, squeezing him tight. Oikawa turned his head just in time for his lips to be captured against Iwaizumi’s.

Was he kissing Oikawa?

Oh, yes. He was definitely kissing Oikawa.

His best friend froze under the kiss but Iwaizumi hardly noticed from his own nerves. It was far from perfect, their lips chapped from the treats but Oikawa tasted of chocolate and caramel and something that was so inherently _him_. Iwaizumi only realized what was happening when suddenly he was being kissed _back_ , a hand threading through his hair.

When Oikawa would retell the story later, at the prompting of his friends, he would tell it with a small smile on his face. He would always leave out the way tears pricked his eyes as he stared at Oikawa, who was looking at him with such a look of love and affection. His vision blurred as wet, salty tears dripped down his cheeks. The brunet simply chuckled, swallowed back his own tears and leaned over until their lips pressed together for a second, third, and then a fourth time. He wanted to keep that part of Iwaizumi all to himself.

By the time they’d pulled away, the fireworks display was long over.

“You missed the fireworks… sorry…” Iwaizumi whispered, voice thick with emotion.

“I don’t care about that, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa laughed, but he was wiping at his face now too.

“I know that we’re gonna be apart after this summer, and I know it’s gonna be hard, but I love you, Oikawa. I want to be with you, I don’t care about anything else.”

“You know what, Iwa-chan?”

“What?” Iwaizumi asked, looking into the brunet’s pretty brown eyes.

“We’ve got Skype and FaceTime and text messaging and I’m gonna call you every day anyway. It’ll be like I never left. It won’t be long before you’re saying _you’re annoying, Shittykawa!_ and ignoring my messages.” He chuckled.

“That won’t happen, Tooru,” Iwaizumi said quietly, looking up to meet his gaze. Oikawa’s expression softened and he bit his lip, holding back a fresh wave of tears at hearing his given name.

“I love you too.... It’s you. It’s always been you. I’ve loved you since I was seven years old and didn’t even understand what love was, but you always made my heart beat faster and made me feel so safe… but now I can see that I’ve always loved you… Hajime.” He tested the name out on his lips, and to his pleasure Iwaizumi smiled at hearing it.

A relieved sob left Iwaizumi’s throat as he wrapped his arms around his best friend, pulling him in to another much-needed kiss. Oikawa kissed him back with fervor, pouring everything that he was feeling, all these pent-up feelings into it.

It was wet and messy, but neither of them cared. It was exactly what they needed, after all this time… After so many years of dancing around each other, pining quietly for the other… Convincing themselves that it would ruin their friendship to talk about it… Convincing themselves that it was unnatural or unwanted by the other.

Finally, they got what they needed: to be together. Fully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe next chapter is the last one! I don't want it to end yet at the same time I can't wait to share the ending. /flops around
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, thank you so much for reading! <3


	7. Chapter 7

"So, there you have it." Oikawa ran his fingers over the last image in his photo book, smiling down at the image of himself and Iwaizumi. 

They may not have always had it easy - no, they often didn't have it easy - but that didn't matter. They loved each other, and more than anything else, that was what carried them through anything.

They spent those last two months of their summer completely inseparable. Wherever Iwaizumi had to go, Oikawa was always at his side; when Oikawa needed to go somewhere, he could only be convinced if he was allowed to bring along his grumpy boyfriend. They spent mornings together lazily eating pancakes and drinking coffee; they took walks together in the afternoons, visiting all of their favourite places. They hung out with their friends in the evenings, playing volleyball or going to the movies. Every night, whether they were at the Iwaizumi or Oikawa household, they fell asleep together, bodies pressed together. They never officially told their parents that they were dating, but it surely wasn't difficult to figure out.

They separated after that summer. Oikawa had never cried harder in his life than he did sitting on that train ride to Tokyo. He didn't let himself text Iwaizumi, not until he was safe in his dorm room, because he knew it would only make him want to turn around and go home. Oikawa went to University in Tokyo, deciding to pursue a degree in nursing whereas Iwaizumi decided to stay at home and enroll in college.

Being long distance was _hard_. 

There were a lot of late-night phone calls, swallowed tears and phone charges for too much long-distance calling. They visited each other as much as humanly possible; they both got extremely familiar with the train schedule as they rode the train at least once a month. Oikawa would send videos and pictures of his adventures, Iwaizumi would respond with selfies after Oikawa asked about a million times. Oikawa annoyed his friends talking way too much about Iwaizumi (especially when he got drunk), and Iwaizumi annoyed  _his_ friends by acting all mopey and sighing relentlessly (again, especially when he got drunk because all he wanted to do was snuggle). There were some close calls, when Oikawa was sure he was going to break, or when Iwaizumi missed his boyfriend so badly the heartache seemed never ending, like it would just be easier if they broke it off once and for all.

Yet, they stayed together.

A year and a half into their relationship, Iwaizumi switched programs when he realized he wasn't interested in having a career in what he was doing. It wasn't something he could picture himself being happy doing. He entered a firefighting college program for a few months, studying and learning until he graduated a few months later. He didn't tell Oikawa he would be graduating that quickly - it was the hardest secret Iwaizumi had to keep, but when he arrived in Tokyo with a duffel bag and a smile, Oikawa didn't even care. He ignored all of his friends for the entire weekend, staying camped up on the couch, cuddling with his boyfriend.

He had his Iwaizumi back.

It was great, for years. Until Oikawa realized that he wanted more. That was why he was here, in front of Iwaizumi's mother and father. 

"I... I know this isn't something that's even legal here. I know you probably knew about us... nothing gets past you." He sighed, "but what I've come here to ask you is if I can ask Hajime to marry me. I love him and you're like my family, so I don't want to do something that will upset you, but I  _really really really_ want this... and I think Hajime wants it too."

Finally, the words off of his chest Oikawa looked up to meet the gaze of Mrs. Iwaizumi. 

"Tooru," she sighed, laying her hand on top of Oikawa's. "You know what your mother and I used to discuss, back when you two were small? When we would meet up while you two played at the park?"

"No," he replied, his voice so small. "Mom never mentioned anything to me."

"You two... you were _meant_ to be together. We used to say... It was as if you were two halves of the same whole, just born separately by mistake."

Oikawa looked at her, in confused. "So, you mean...?"

"Well, we knew it would happen eventually," Mr. Iwaizumi laughed. "Like you said, you're our family. This would just be making it official."

A smile bloomed on Oikawa's face. "A-are you serious?!" He squeezed his hand into a fist, releasing a breath he didn't know he was even holding. He was not going to cry, he was not going to cry-

He was crying.

"Oh honey," she said with a small laugh, "Don't cry! It's okay." She pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight.

"I know," he laughed, "I know it is, it's more okay than anything... I... I have to go ask him now!"

"Do you have a ring?" Mr. Iwaizumi asked.

Oikawa nodded, blushing sheepishly. "I'd like him to be the first one to see it, if that's alright."

Both parents looked at each other and then nodded. "Oh, we probably should have mentioned to you that Hajime was coming over for a visit today, since you two are in town," Mrs. Iwaizumi snickered. It was true that they were in town together, Iwaizumi having to come in for some training. Oikawa had tagged along under the guise of wanting to visit their old homes, but in reality this had been his plan all along.

"Wait, w-what?!"

"Oh, yes. He was supposed to be here at four. It's... four ten. He'll be here any minute. Might have gotten held up at work."

"I-I need to go!"

"Here, honey, wipe your face. He won't be able to tell they're happy tears."

Oikawa nodded, taking the handkerchief and heading for the door. "Thank you!" He said loudly, bowing as he stomped into his shoes. He waved a quick goodbye, dashing out the door as he wiped off his face.

He barely made it down the walkway leading away from the house when he heard a car door slam.

Looking up, Iwaizumi was stepping out of his truck. He was still wearing his work clothes, black pants and a red long-sleeved shirt. He looked a little bit tired, but when his eyes met Oikawa's his facial expression turned panicked.

"Tooru, are you okay? Have you been crying?" He walked over to him, hands touching his cheeks. He brushed his thumb across his jaw, looking into his eyes deeply. "What happened?"

Oikawa just smiled at him, pressing their lips together. "Nothing, I'm just happy, Hajime. I love you a lot."

Confused, Iwaizumi kissed him back before pulling just a few inches away. "I love you too... Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Do you think your parents can wait? I wanna take a walk down to the park where we used to play."

"Sure," Iwaizumi nodded, lacing their fingers together. He pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Anything for you."

* * *

With tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, Iwaizumi said yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with me throughout this entire fic! I have absolutely loved writing it, these two are my favourite and childhood friends to lovers is my favourite trope. 
> 
> This story may be over, but I'm very interested in writing another IwaOi fic sometime soon. If you have requests, let me know! :) ♥ (I'm thinking something with Firefighter Iwaizumi. Yes? ♥)


End file.
